Abstract
[Purpose]A functional drop in attention has been cited as a factor of falls. In this study we investigated whether or not it is possible to prevent falls among the community-dwelling elderly by raising the attention function. [Subjects and Method] The subjects were 63 community-dwelling elderly persons (average age, 83.3 ± 5.9 years) who were not receiving care under the long-term care insurance program. They were divided into an attention training and exercise intervention group of 21 persons, an exercise intervention only group of 21 persons, and a control group of 21 persons. The two intervention groups performed a standard exercise intervention at a frequency of once a week for 6 months, and the attention training group additionally performed attention training. [Result] We found an improvement effect for attention function and walking ability under the dual task condition of the attention and exercise training group. Furthermore, the rate of occurrence of falls decreased from 24% to 10% during the intervention, but only in the attention and exercise training group. [Conclusion] In the prevention of falls, improvement of the function of attention is important.
